All God’s Children

The idea that God loves EVERY ONE of his kids equally, no matter our history, nationality, beliefs, sins, strengths, etc, moves me so deeply.

“For nothing can separate us from the love of God…”

And not only do I want to learn how to see myself as one of those deeply loved kids, I want to see every single other person I meet as my brother or sister, engulfed in God’s bottomless paternal and maternalLOVE. About a year ago, pondering this idea while driving my car, I began to hum (and then sing) a little chorus:
Oh, You love Your children, love Your childrenEvery daughter, every sonOh, You love Your children, all Your childrenHelp us see You in each oneArriving home, I threw the car in park and sprinted to the piano, determined to flesh this idea into a song. After finishing the chorus, I began the verse with these four lines:
Father of each immigrant,Mother of each businessman,God of everyone who has ever been an alien,You are Maker of us all.Immigration has not been an issue I’ve been deeply involved with and it surprised me that “father of each immigrant” was the first lyric I put to paper.
But it shouldn’t have surprised me.
The more I read the scriptures and watch God’s movement in history, the more I’m learning that immigrants and aliens are absolutely central to God’s heart. Central!Not only is this good news for our brothers and sisters without proper documentation, this is good news for any of us who has ever been excluded or uninvited or pushed to the margins.
Even more, this is phenomenal news for everyone on earth because:
We were all once aliens,And we’re all so full of sin. But in Jesus’ name we’ve been welcomed inAs citizens.A brand new family, old and young,From every nation, faith, and tongue.A new creation has begunFrom every nation, faith, and tongue.May we all see ourselves and every single person on earth as we actually are: profoundly loved Children of God.
You can experience the full 25-minute New Liturgy called “God is Love” created around this song and theme at http://www.anewliturgy.com.
You can also watch one of the first times we sang this song together at Willow Creek Community Church here:

Aaron Niequist is a worship leader, songwriter, and the curator of “A New Liturgy” After leading worship for five years at Mars Hill in Michigan, he now serves at Willow Creek Church. He and his wife Shauna, who is an author, have two sons. For more information, check out http://www.aaronniequist.comPlease note that the views expressed do not necessarily represent those of everyone associated with G92 or any institutions with which the blogger may be affiliated. If you’re interested in writing a guest blog, contactblog@g92.org